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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
SUMMONS, by STAN SANVEL RUBIN
First Line: When they come, you could be on the island of paqueta
Subject(s): Shackleton, Sir Ernest (1874-1922)
First Line: When they come, you could be on the island of paqueta
Subject(s): Shackleton, Sir Ernest (1874-1922)
When they come, you could be on the island of Paqueta,
its little houses drenched with flowers, the sun-tossed beach
gently breathing the warm bay.
When they ask for you, you might be west of McMurdo,
watching the sun crush pack ice to jewel,
Shackleton's wounded ship a blue shadow
at horizon, waiting to be found. But you
would go blind to see the albatross of yourself
let loose now, so you may want to answer
the voices that insist on what you owe.
The Vista Chinesa shows you everything: Rio
in the palm of a hand, the rocks bone-stark and bare.
This party goes all night. As rich and poor
dissolve in parrot colors, press
your ear to ice. Hear fin whales work
their way to Terra Nova. The cold sea calling.
Copyright © Stan Sanvel Rubin.
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